Biden to nominate SC Judge DeAndrea Gist Benjamin to 4th Circuit Court of Appeals

President Joe Biden plans to nominate South Carolina Judge DeAndrea Gist Benjamin to fill a vacant seat on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, according to a White House official.

Benjamin, 49, became a 5th Judicial Circuit state judge in 2011. She oversees civil and criminal trials in Richland and Kershaw counties.

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals is one of the nation’s 13 appellate courts and is one step below the U.S. Supreme Court. Supreme Court justices usually are chosen from the nation’s appellate courts.

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals is authorized 15 judges from the states of Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and North and South Carolina.

Benjamin would be the third South Carolina judge on the 4th Circuit, along with Jay Richardson and Marvin Quattlebaum.

Benjamin is the second female African American judge from South Carolina nominated to a federal appeals court as he’s pledged to bring more diversity to the federal bench. Biden also named former U.S. District Judge Michelle Childs to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.

Before she’s seated, Benjamin must go through a confirmation process that will include being vetted by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The news was first reported by the Charleston Post and Courier.

Benjamin, a Columbia native, is married to former Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin. She is a 1994 graduate of Winthrop University and is a 1977 graduate of University of South Carolina Law School.

Bakari Sellers, a Columbia attorney, former state lawmaker and CNN commentator, said Benjamin will make an excellent judge.

“She is a great jurist,” he said. “Her workload and intellect make her perfectly suited for this post.”

McClatchyDC correspondent Alex Roarty contributed to this report.

This story will be updated.